Menu

Prompts

Contests

Stories

Blog

Menu

✕

CONNECT

Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites

BLOG

Success Stories

APPS

TOOLS

Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships

ABOUT

About Reedsy Terms Privacy

CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#183: Opposite Day

January 25th was National Opposite Day — the day when topsy-turviness rules, and nothing is as it seems. On Opposite Day, you’re supposed to say the exact opposite of what you mean. And while this holiday is probably just one for kids, it’s a fun excuse to think about the ways we communicate, and about the concept of “opposites” more generally.

Opposites are a frequent source of inspiration for writing; whether your opposing forces provide balance, or are at odds with one another. With that in mind, this week’s prompts are all about obfuscation, contrast, and swapping between extremes.

This week's prompts

Write a story about someone who is cursed to always say the opposite of what they mean.

Dialogue – 26 stories

Write a story about two opposites finding themselves surprisingly attracted to one another.

Romance – 48 stories

Write about a character who uses sarcasm as a defense mechanism.

Character – 14 stories

Write a story that includes the line “We’re just too different.”

Angst – 67 stories

Write a story about two characters whose paths briefly cross, but are actually going in opposite directions — whether literally or figuratively.

Dramatic – 93 stories

Stories

“Teach Me How to Grow Up” by Sway Dodson

Submitted to Contest #183

Content Warning: mentions of domestic violence, postpartum depression, anger issues, substance abuse Something in my brain shifted when he slammed his glass on the table and shouted “grow up!” He continued speaking, a blur of angry expressions and fists hitting the table. My head was swimming, ears ringing, like my hearing had been knocked out. I was more focused on the glass, a gift I’d gotten him as an inside joke: world’s best teacher. He chipped the rim with his temper tantrum. Every pound to the wood made the whiskey slosh and...

Read story

“Bro Code” by April Jin

Submitted to Contest #183

“Ladies and gentlemen, we will soon begin our descent into San Francisco International Airport--”I jolt awake after ten hours of no rest. My wife is shaking my arm. “Wake up!” Her voice buzzes a few decibels below the airline announcement and above the whirring engines. “We’re landing.”“I know!” I grouse; my old bones groan as I shift in my seat. “I’m not deaf!”She ignores me, folding the indigo blanket of polyester on her lap, her face a perennial scowl. The back of her seat bounces up with a thud. “And straight up your chair!” she add...

Read story

“Parting Words” by Madison Eccleton

Submitted to Contest #183

CONTENT WARNING !! This story contains smoking, blood, and depictions of violence/domestic violence, consumption of blood. ⤟ 🟆 ⤠ Among the vast emptiness of open space that is our galaxy, there are countless living organisms just like you and I. Creatures beyond our knowledge and understanding; who walk and talk and breathe just as we do. The phenomenon of “alien life” has been denied by many, but there are still those out there who believe. What if we lived in a world, where alien life was not a conspiracy theory, but a concept everyone ...

Read story

“4 Words” by Sara Trent

Submitted to Contest #183

“We’re just too different, Lo.” The words echo through my mind as I stand paralyzed, wrapped in confusion. I close my eyes, tilting my head to the sky and take a deep, unsteady breath.“Harlow, did you hear me? We’re going to have to ask you to step down. Effective immediately. I’ve already gotten approval from the board.” Lennox says, sliding me an envelope, finally snapping me out of my disbelief. Reviving my dignity I straighten myself up and make direct eye contact with the treacherous snake. I remain quiet for an excruciating amount of t...

Read story

“Lion and the Mouse” by Nithila Balamurali

Submitted to Contest #183

“You have been recruited to join us on Mission Sparrow.” The head officer nonchalantly spoke. A smile slowly appeared on my face, then it faded as the exact words came out. “Celeste, your sister, will also be on the mission. I’m expecting you to work together.” The light out of my face slowly drained. I cocked my head to look at my sister. She looked like a ghost had pulled out her intestines. It was when we were born that it was clear we would never be alike. Born on the same date, from the same mother, in the same house, we loo...

Read story

“In The White Place” by Sally Pace

Submitted to Contest #183

It’s snowing, and the forecast is for a foot or more accumulation. Like with any apocalyptic storm predicted, we stocked up on food, water, toilet paper, and even kitty litter. Why take a chance? Now the only thing left to do is entertain ourselves. Barney’s idea of entertainment is sitting in the recliner napping or watching marathons of any show he stumbles upon while he channel surfs. This is all he does regardless of the weather. I need to take a walk for my sanity, so I put on my thermal underwear, pull on my boots, and grab my coat, ...

Read story

“Encounter On A Train” by David St.George

Submitted to Contest #183

Charles sat by himself in the train compartment, seething with rage for the man who had run off with his wife. It was only five o’clock in the morning and the trip from Omaha, Illinois to the bustling city of Chicago would take about nine and a half hours–more time to marinate in the hatred that had consumed him these past two weeks. Charles’ former wife, Lisa, had run off with her old college boyfriend to Chicago, obliterating the life she and Charles had tried so hard to forge during these past five years of marriage. Now that she had le...

Read story

“Jesus on the 2 Line” by Noel Turner

Submitted to Contest #183

Jesus on the 2 Line Geez, the stench. The funk of New York City’s eight million seemed trapped in the close-quartered D car of the 2 Line. The end of the workday wore its exhaustion in mussed hair, grey pallor, and hangdog expressions. Heads pounded, feet ached. The strobing effect of tunnel lights, flashing on and off as the train dashed beneath the city, added to the dizzying effect of it all. She covered her nose with a white cotton handkerchief and took short, shallow breaths. She hadn’t eaten lunch, no time. Breakfast? No. Oversleep...

Read story

“The Right Thing To Do” by Nupur NS

Submitted to Contest #183

You knew where I was… for how long? Have you been keeping tabs on me for my father? Has he finally decided to reclaim the prodigal son! What is it that you said to that couple when they came to see you all those years ago? “The beauty of love is that it can make you feel wretched and enchanted with the same person.” My days of enchantment lasted longer than I had thought they would. Ah, so not him then. Just you. What brings you here then? You’ve come to claim your dues I suppose. There is a price to pay for your silence, yes? No...

Read story

“A squire from twenty years ago.” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #183

A long time ago I was once invited, by two spinsters, to visit an estate. I had never been to that area before and I found the scenery extremely beautiful and scenic. l stopped at an inn for some food. The host was easy-going and talkative, benevolent, and willing to accommodate his guests with an endless talk on any subject. I asked him for some information about the domain I was going to, because I had never been there before, and I wanted to have an idea of where I was going. He told me that no one had lived there for over twenty yea...

Read story

“Nowhere Else to Step” by Josh E

Submitted to Contest #183

Edmund was a rising star, welcomed like a lost child by the film world. The papers were crazy over him like a dog with a new toy. There wasn’t much else a 21-year-old could wish for. He had the looks, the fame… and the MONEY! He sure had a heavy wallet. Who would’ve thought two movies in three years could get him where he was? Like the sun in the early hours of the day, Ed’s rise was unstoppable.A reporter pushed through the crowd and stood by the barricade. Edmund stopped like any actor on the carpet would do. You had to give some time to b...

Read story

“Bitter Sweet” by Sonia Ferrigno

Submitted to Contest #183

'Twenty pounds, fifty-five.' A please would be nice. Claire wanted to bore a hole through the young woman behind the checkout but was too busy rescuing some of the more vulnerable groceries, rolling haphazardly down the brake rollers and clogging up the packaging area. She hated it when the Aldi cashiers bullied her into speeding up her packaging; zipping the items past the scanner, leaving them to tumble to their fate, while sighing repeatedly at her slow reactions and stunted performance. Claire succeeded in cramming t...

Read story

“Paratha” by Nibras Mirza

Submitted to Contest #183

Aftab huffed on the bicycle as he reached Gulmohar Lane. The flyover opening onto the National Highway stretched python-like to his right, deserted. In the fifteen kilometers he had cycled, he had seen two hawkers who stood under the blaze of the July sun on empty roads to sell fried peas, water chestnuts and pakoras to the occasional passerby, and one other cyclist. Four months of the pandemic lockdown following close on the heels of a seven-month long political shutdown had turned the city int...

Read story

“Of Ground and Sky” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #183

Of Ground and Sky The sun blazed across the hills in of Shang Ti village and little children happily running and playing while their mothers looked whilst doing some chores. The village itself has been built along the side of a mountainbthat often cast a long shadow across the village in the afternoon and evening hours. It was said that some eagles had made a nest on the other side of the mountain and and sometimes, the eagles could be seen flying on a moon lit night. Young Pan Si Hung, had recently arrived in...

Read story

“A Million Miles Between Us ” by Mark Baxter

Submitted to Contest #183

A Million Miles Between Us Tim lay back in the oversized tub and let out a soft moan. The warm water felt good, but he still hurt everywhere. He glanced at the clock above him. “One more time,” he thought, with a sigh of resignation. He took several deep breaths, closed his eyes and let his head fall back, slipping beneath the surface. His head hit the bottom of the tub with a soft thump. He tried to ignore the way the sound echoed in his enlarged sinus cavities. He opened his eyes, and studied the way the room’s lighting shimmered and r...

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

248

Contest entries

125

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 03, 2023 EST

Won by Laurel Hanson 🏆

Title: Of Harpers and Heroes

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢